Rental question

New Member

We are travelling in July and one of our members has been injured to the point where the walk may be compromised but in the spirit of the pilgrim we do not want to leave anyone behind so we may rent a vehicle. How difficult is it to maneuver a van through the area? I have been stumped by narrow streets in the past and thought best to ask first.

Moderator

If you are thinking about having your injured companion drive while you walk, I have seen this kind of arrangement on several occasions. Most frequently, the driver takes all the walkers' bags, spends a while going to a grocery store to buy snack and lunch, and then meets the walkers at a pre-arranged site for lunch. After lunch, the driver takes off again and winds up at the final destination. I remember speaking with a Belgian woman who did this, and she told me that sometimes she was able to park the car ahead of the group and then walk a ways "backwards" till she met the group.

I imagine this kind of arrangement requires very good maps, and that it would be easier to arrange to meet in towns that are on marked highways. But i don't think you'll have a problem with the car having to go off road or anything like that.

Hello Suzanne,
What a dilemma for you – and for your friend. I do hope she has recovered sufficiently by July to walk some, if not most, of the camino.

Using the Brierley guide for the camino Frances, which splits the miles for each day into “paths –quiet roads – main roads, the 798kms from St Jean works out like this:

505 km on paths/tracks
202.6km on quiet roads (mostly through small villages)
90.6km on main roads

If you look at the daily stages you will see that the ‘camino path’ often winds alongside the main road, with a few sections (Cizur Menor to Puente la Reina, Burgos to Castrojeriz and a few more) nowhere close the main road at all.
There is a road route for people who drive the camino that takes you to all the same towns and villages and if you guys do decide to rent a vehicle, it would be worth ordering one of those maps.
Just one thing to bear in mind is that your friend won’t be allowed to stay in the refuges if she travels by car and you might not be accepted either if she carries your packs in the car.
Wish your friend a speedy recovery.

A

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Anonymous

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Now, that is a great idea, Br. David, I second it. There r so many ways of going to Compostela, as pilgrims or not, each one according to his/her needs and means. As far as I'm concerned they're all valid, judgements excluded. Buen, buen Camino, to you, Suzanne, and to your fellow pilgrim. Your care for each other, is one of the things that this experience is all about. xm 8)